Jordanian MP Imad al-Adwan who was arrested on April 22, on suspicion of smuggling a large cache of weapons and gold into Israel, intending to distribute it to terrorist groups in the Palestinian Authority, was released on Sunday and is expected to be tried in a Jordanian court.
The Shin Bet issued an official statement saying that since February 2022, al-Adwan carried out smuggling operations 12 different times into the State of Israel using his diplomatic immunity. Among other things, he smuggled animals, birds, pigeons, electronic cigarettes, and gold. Starting in early 2023, he smuggled weapons on several occasions.
The Shin Bet investigation revealed that al-Adwan carried out the smuggling for reasons of greed, not patriotism, and he took in large sums of money. While the MP was being interrogated in Israel, the Jordanian security forces arrested several local officials in Jordan who were connected to his smuggling ring.
On Sunday morning, at the end of his interrogation, Emad was handed over to the Jordanian authorities for further investigation and prosecution. The Jordanian MP was arrested on April 22 after 12 rifles and 194 pistols were found in his vehicle, alongside a sizable cache of gold.
The affair revealed that the security cooperation between Jerusalem and Amman is as viable as it has ever been.
Ynet quoted an Israeli security official who said following the release of the Jordanian MP that “the suspect is not released but his interrogation in Israel has been exhausted and he is being transferred to the custody of the Jordanian security officials, who are continuing the investigation and will bring him to justice. He will stand trial. Many ends of this investigation are with the Jordanians, hence the cooperation, including additional interrogations they will conduct, something that the security forces in Israel cannot do.”
After his arrest at the Allenby crossing, al-Adwan has met only with the Jordanian ambassador and consul, but not with a lawyer. So, no before and after pictures.
